The Path of a Snowflake
by Mrs. Kitsune
Summary: Fem!Harry! Seppen Potter is left outside again on Christmas night, and freezes to death. Bunnymund, her father figure, is devastated. But is she really gone? How will the Wizarding World react? SeppenxJack
1. Chapter 1

**'Seppen' means 'snowflake'.**

* * *

Eight year old Seppen was once again left out in the cold on Christmas night. This wasn't unusual, in fact-this happened annually. Every Christmas, her evil relatives would throw her out of the eighty degree house into the icy cold snow and freezing wind. They had no need to keep the house so warm, nearly everyone else on the block only kept their home at sixty. The Dursley's were just vain like that.

So here she was, curled up in a ball under a tree, trying to keep her fingers and toes warm in the -3 degree weather. She was shivering violently, her small, malnourished form not keeping heat like it should. Seppen could feel her heart slowing down, her arms and legs were getting stiff. She looked at the clear, starry sky, and sighed. Tears started to slip down her face uncontrollably, the tracks that the tears left behind froze on her cheeks, shortening the time that she had left in the world. She cried for the life she didn't have, wept for the times that the Dursley's told her that she was worthless, and sobbed for all of the lies she told her teacher at school about the bruises and broken bones. She mourned for the childhood that was stolen from her.

The cold burned, but Seppen couldn't move anymore to warm herself up. The winds stopped suddenly, as if someone had just turned off a fan because they were cold. Snow started to fall lightly, big flakes slowly soaring towards the ground in spectacular patterns, each flake swirling in invisible wind before touching the ground in the softest of touches. Seppen watched her namesake fall, and sighed in acceptance. She was going to die this time, there was no stopping it. _At least I get to fall asleep in my favorite season... the perfect snowfall... on Christmas morning... what a wonderful time to go..._She thought to herself as she got tired.

Seppen stretched out in the snow in the small, cramped clearing that she had found three years ago. It wasn't even five feet in length, and less than three feet wide, but there were beautiful flowers that grew here in the spiring and summer, and she always found eggs here on Easter. Once or twice, when the Dursley's were especially cruel and didn't give her food for longer than usual, she found a whole basket with carrots and broccoli and other healthy things that she needed. Last year, she had seen the Easter Bunny leaving a basket there. He was quite a bit bigger than she had originally thought, but she didn't care. She had walked up to him, as quiet as a mouse, and thanked him for leaving her a basket that year. She had scared him so badly that he had jumped a full four feet in the air. They still giggled about that whenever they saw each other.

Whenever her relatives would kick her out for a few weeks, he would bring her to the Warren to help him paint eggs for Easter Sunday. He always told her that the eggs that she painted were favorites among the children who found them on Easter. She smiled again at that, she loved his complements, she saw him as a father more than a friend anyways.

The tiny girl stretched in the clearing, having up to a foot of room on all sides of the space to get comfortable. Her long black hair lay splayed around her like a cape, her oversized and baggy clothes looking like a pretty dress in the way they bunched up around her body, and the small, bare feet made her look as if she were simply taking a nap on a white bed. Seppen Potter died there, emerald eyes closed, a small smile on her lips, and a big impact on the world.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore winced as several devices in his office started emitting high pitched screeches and wails. He looked at them, thinking about why they were going off, when he realized in horror- Seppen Potter was dead. He buried his head in his hands. The daughter of some of his favorite students was dead. He had promised to look after her, and now she had died.

"Lily, James," he whispered brokenly. "I'm so sorry... I should have kept a closer eye on her... I'm so sorry..."

Professor McGonagall found him hours later with a large glass of firewhiskey and repetitively apologizing to midair.

* * *

Bunnymund dropped the egg he was painting. The other Guardians looked at him in shock. The pooka never, never, ever dropped an egg. His paintbrush then slipped out of his paw, and before it even hit the ground, he was gone through a tunnel, leaving North's workshop behind.

He morphed into his small form once he was in the tunnel. He had this form to not scare the children, because really, five-year-olds would be terrified of the Easter Bunny if they saw him in his six foot one warrior pooka form. And yes, even to him, that sentence sounded strange. The children liked the cute little bunny form better, it was just something thease as meant to be. Children gravitate towards cute things, anyways. He had never told the other Guardians about his little angel, just because he knew she would have either been surrounded by everybody whenever she visited, or the two friends would have to stop seeing each other.

Seppen liked the warmth and quiet of the Warren more than the upside-down twittering of Tooth's residence or the booming chaos of North's workshop, he assumed. He didn't know exactly where Sandy went, but he assumed it was made entirely out of sand. He didn't think she would like it too much, but the sand did have a nice color, so maybe.

Bunnymund charged to the place where is favorite child was. She either needed help, or she was dead. He prayed with all of his heart that she was safe and sound and not lying in the snow somewhere. When he got close a few minutes later, he grew worried. It was Christmas morning, the middle of winter, and she was in their special hiding spot. It was -4 degrees outside for crying out loud, what on Earth was she doing there? He leaped out of the ground, only to freeze. Not because of the weather, he couldn't care less if he actually tried. The frozen body of his precious one was lying in the snow, snowflakes seeming to avoid her entirely. He grew back to normal, and collapsed by her body, tears slipping down his face, almost immediately freezing on his fur.

"No..." He whispered quietly. "No, Seppen, why didn't you go to shelter... why did you have to die? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, _no!_" Bunnymund grasped her icy hand gently, big, inescapable tears dripping down his face.

He stayed there for an hour, not knowing what to do. He couldn't leave her here, no one would look for her. No one would know that she was dead, and her body would stay here in this place forever, never to be remembered or mourned. He couldn't tell the other Guardians about her, they would pity him, and he didn't want that. So wit a heavy heart, he picked his daughter figure up, and opened a tunnel to the Warren.

The normally happy moss-covered tunnels seemed dark and dreary, and he traveled through them at not even a quarter of his normal speed. The Warren drew closer, and with great sadness, he entered the very place that Seppen loved so much. He had always found the Warren to be a gorgeously beautiful place, but without her it just seemed like the ruins of a civilization that had an unhealthy obsession with eggs.

The little unpainted egglets crowded around him, and the egg golems rose from their posts and made their way over. "She's dead." He whispered thickly. "Our little rabbit froze to death." The eggs seemed to deflate, and inexplicably turned an ashen gray color. They did that sometimes, turn gray when they were sad, that is. He felt like turning gray, himself.

The tiny egglets shuffled out of the way, making a path for him to walk through, and then huddled under the small overhang that they normally slept in. Bunnymund brought her to her favorite spot, the cliff where the paint river bubbled up from. It overlooked most of the Warren, a spectacular view, if he could say so himself. It just so happened to have a cave that was just about the right size for her, the perfect place for her to rest and be remembered for eternity.

He stationed a golem outside the small opening to guard it, the golem fitting perfectly in the space provided, blocking anybody and anything from getting in.

* * *

**Hello! I'm Mrs. Kitsune, here on known as MK. I wanted to post this, as I should let it stew for a while and get it judged by my respected reviewers. Tis started out as a challenge from AmaltheaLuchiaAizen, but it morphed into this. Bunny's kinda a fatherly figure for Seppen, nothing else. I wonder if I should pair her with Jack... maybe. The overhang that I was talking about was the spot that the eggs used to hide from Sophie, just in case you don't remember... OH! I would like your opinion on something.**

**What should Seppen be the Spirit of? **

**Halloween.**

**Water, (i.e. oceans, rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, etc.)**

**Or an Easter Sprite. (To help paint eggs and help Bunny, because he's always swamped with work, isn't he?)**

**I'm leaning towards one, I just want your opinion. **

_Sayonara! _


	2. Chapter 2

**Water: 26**  
**Halloween: 10**  
**Easter: 15**

**Water's winning, ladies and gents. But I might do a mix of Easter and Water. North's accent is HARD to do, so forgive me if it's a little iffy. I counted double votes, but the peson who reviewed like ten times in a row voting for water- shame. give the other ones a chance! Water would have won anyways, but still! Calm yourself, chica! *Grins***

**People have asked me what her name is pronounced like. In my head I pronounce it Sep-pen. Like SEPtember, and... pen, lke the writing utensil. I think it's a pretty name. It's Japanese.**

* * *

Two weeks passed and the Guardians hadn't seen hide nor hair of the pooka. Until now.

"Bunny!" North boomed. "We haven't seen you in long time!" North laughed loudly. "What made you leave so quickly?" He asked, curious.

Tooth seemingly appeared out of thin air. "Bunnymund! Hello! Wait… what's wrong? What happened?" She flitted around the six foot one bunny, a concerned look on her face.

Sandy woke from his nap in the corner, noticing the Easter spirit. Several pictures flashed above his head, no one understanding them.

"I'm… fine. No need to worry. Just... Something happened in the Warren, nothing… majorly… important to Easter." He stopped speaking, not trusting his voice anymore. The lie felt like burning embers on his tongue.

"If not a big deal, then why are you so down?" North inquired, white eyebrow raised.

"It was just something important to me, nothing very… noteworthy…" Bunnymund could tell that they didn't believe a word of it. "It set me back a few days on the egg painting schedule, now I have to work a lot harder for the right amount of eggs for Easter, that's all." He paused, not liking the flat stares he was getting. "Can we just start the meeting and be done with it?"

The Guardians always met at North's workshop for a meeting every full moon, nothing major had happened since the Dark Ages, so they just updated each other on the goings on around their jobs. _That_ night had been a new moon. No Manny.

Tooth reported that a few of her fairies had gotten sick, but it didn't seem to be contagious or fatal, and the fairies were getting over it. From what they could gather of Sandy's pictures, business was usual, and children seemed to get even more imaginative with each passing year. Dreams of archeology, space, flight, giants, and everything under the rainbow filled the children's heads. North's yetis complained about the elves, but other than that, they were already making toys for the next Christmas.

It was Bunnymund's turn to report what was going on in the Warren. He thought about it for a few minutes, then decided to tell them about Seppen, but not the bond they shared. "One of my strongest believers froze to death just a while ago. I've been busy with the eggs, I should really get back. I don't have as many believers as you guys do, so the loss of even one child can be felt. I'll have to paint more eggs and hide them in more places in order for more children to believe in me. Now if you'll excuse me-"

He was cut off by a bear-hug from Tooth. He was so shocked, he couldn't move for a few seconds. Tooth… was giving him a bear-hug? That in itself was surprising. She had also never given him a hug before...

"Oh Bunny! I'm so sorry for you! Do you need help painting? I can help!" Tooth looked at him with big, watery eyes.

"While I appreciate the thought, Tooth," he said gruffly. "I really don't need help. I'll just have to work harder, that's all."_ Dear god, she pities me..._

"But you already work so hard! Just let me know if you need help, and I'll sent a bunch of fairies over!"

"Uh, yeah… I'll let you know… but I don't need help…" He gently pried her off of his chest. "Don't you have teeth to collect, or something?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh my! My fairies need me!" She zoomed out the window to her palace, her little twittering and chirping bird-like helpers following behind her like leaves on the wind. She was talking into an iridescent earpiece as she flew away, something about Hockey season starting and Unit Seven, Sub-Section 32. He didn't even try to understand what that meant, Toothiana was just a bit... strange like that.

North sighed. "Energetic little hummingbird…" He turned to the yetis in the background and clapped his hands three times. "Alright everybody! Back to work!" He said the last part reverently, like he couldn't wait to create things that would allow children to see the wonder of the world. He truly enjoyed his job.

Bunnymund smiled for the first time in two weeks. Small, barely more than a twitch, but a smile nonetheless. He tapped his foot on the ground twice, opening a moss and fern covered tunnel to the Warren. He should get back to work. It was what Seppen would have wanted. A magenta flower, slightly wilted, was all that remained in the Globe Room.

* * *

She felt like she was floating. Drifting through the air, almost as if she were underwater. The air was cool, smelling of honeysuckles and roses. Bunny always told her that she smelled like that… it was a wonderful smell. There was also a slight undertone of salt, but she dismissed it.

_I wonder… is this really what being dead feels like? It's actually rather nice…_ She thought dreamily. _Wait… Bunny!_

Her eyes snapped open, revealing thousands of stars to her. They glittered like the most beautiful diamonds, scattered across the sky like millions of snowflakes. Her eyes were drawn to the moon, shining gloriously amongst the stars. She sat up slowly, idly realizing that she was in the middle of an abnormally calm ocean. She stood on the surface of the water as easily as she would a solid surface.

Seppen heard a quiet whisper in the back of her mind.

_"You are Seppen, your power now resides within the water. Use it well, child, protect your precious ones with the undying strength that you possess." _The voice said with an ethereal quality, almost as if the speaker was an entity of great power.

"What do you mean? Who are you? Wasn't I dead? …Will I see… dad again?" She asked the last question more to herself than whoever the whisperer was.

_"I am the Moon. You are now a spirit… I chose you because you are still destined for great things in this world, Seppen. You must work hard, and overcome many adversities."_ The Man in the Moon paused, as if pondering an unanswerable question. _"You may see him if you wish it. He misses you like the desert misses the rain, he needs you Seppen…" _He paused again. _"You will grow just like any child until you reach your prime, then you will stop aging. Because you are so young, I will aide you in your new duties, but once you know what to do, you'll be doing the work."_ He sounded like he was smiling good-naturally. The Moon's voice then faded away as the sun started to rise in the east.

Seppen looked at the bright golds and lavenders of what was possibly the most beautiful sunrise she had ever seen. The sun just barely peeked over the horizon, bringing pinks and cheerful yellows into the array.

With the light of the rising sun, she took note of what she was wearing. Gone were the oversized, gray, ugly clothes. In their place was a silky deep blue dress. It cut off at at about three inches above her knee, and at first glance, what looked seaweed green flames curling up the hem. At closer examination, she discovered with a blush that it was actually seaweed embellished on the fabric, not flames. Seaweed made more sense, anyways. She had a green belt made of seaweed that was held up by blue twine, no shoes, and blue nail polish on her fingers and toes. The dress was a V-neck, and it had no sleeves.

She felt a weight on her head, and looked at her reflection on the calm ocean, and saw a gorgeous red coral headdress. It curved around her forehead, sweeping back over her hair and sticking out behind her a few inches. It crept along her jawline, hiding her ears from the world, and making her look like a princess. She marveled at herself for several minutes. Tears slipped down her cheekbones, splashing in the water below her feet, the tears making the water glow for a few seconds.

_I'm... beautiful..._ She thought. She had always been told by the Dursley's that she was an ugly, ungrateful, needy wench that would never succeed in life. _I-I... I'm... beautiful..._

Suddenly, out of the water, a small piece of the same coral that made up her headdress appeared. Her eyes widened, and she made to pick it up. She was surprised when it kept coming, quickly realizing that it was a long staff.

The staff was made entirely of twisted coral. It was still straight, but swirling contours ran down the sides and tapered it off to a point. Seppen loved it, and she loved everything about her new self. She felt more powerful, like she could do anything that she wanted to. She spun around, gasping when a big wave radiated outwards.

She giggled. She was going to have so much fun... _But the moment I can get he hang of this-... and maybe a few other things...- I'll go find Bunnymund... my dad._

* * *

**Hello! So water won, but I think I'll have her live with Bunnymund and help out with Easter. **

**If someone were to.. oh I dunno, ****_draw_**** what they think Seppen looks like with her new outfit, I would be very happy... *Hint hint, nudge nudge*  
**

***Puppy Dog Eyes of Doom* Please?**

**OH! I realized I had no plan for what her center should be. If you guys have any ideas, I'm all ears. **

**I still can't believe I got ****_over forty_**** reviews on chapter one. You have no idea how happy that makes me, seriously guys. I love you all!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! You all have inspired me to update again! To answer a few questions, I was referring to the American temperature measurement, so sorry for any confusion. Yeah, 80 degrees Celsius would be rather… warm, wouldn't it?**

**Chapter dedication: AmaltheaLuchiaAizen. Go and read her stories, she's epic!**

**As for the severe age difference between Seppen and Jack... Meh, I'll cross that road when I get to it.**

* * *

Bunnymund hadn't left the Warren for several days. He had painted enough eggs to have a little bit of a break, so he took a walk. There was a well worn path that traversed through a small portion of woods, and it led up to the top of the cliff that overlooked the most beautiful part of the Warren. He would visit Seppen while he was up there, too...

The proportions in the Warren were completely mixed up, the trees were so large that anyone walking through the greenery would feel like they were the size of a small rabbit. They both loved it here, everything just seemed so welcoming, even if the Warren was at the center of the Earth... Yes, it was. Go look it up. It really was at the center of the Earth, he didn't know why nobody believed him when he told them.

Bunnymund sighed again, then fell over on his side, curled up, and proceeded to try and fall asleep.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Seppen was having a blast. She could do so much cool stuff with the water! She could make waves the size of Big Ben, and stop them with just a wave of her hand. She could freeze it with a sharp snap of her fingers, boil it with a wink, make see-through clones of herself that could run errands for her, and freeze bubbles. She didn't know why she felt that was important, but if she really concentrated, she could see pictures of places almost inside the bubble.

At the end of the first day, she had tons of little tricks and skills polished up. She had tons of fun, and as the moon rose, she was spinning around on the glassy surface of the water, barely skimming the top, leaving ripples wherever she went. She skated across the water, laughing like it was Christmas morning. Leaping into the air, she spun around like a ballerina onstage. Droplets of water followed her spin, gleaming in the light and reflecting the brilliance of the moon.

_"Seppen! It's good to see you again!"_ The Man in the Moon said to her, surprising the blossoming water spirit. _"I'll tell you what your job is, due to past experience I have learned to just tell you your duties."_He sounded happy, like there was a big grin on his face.

"Oh hello Mr. Moon! I can't wait to get started!" She jumped into the air and laughed, a clear, crystalline sound, like a brook bubbling across rocks.

_"That's the first time I've heard that!"_ He laughed jovially._ "Basically, your job is to rescue children from drowning, as well as bring rain to places that need it. That's it, really."_He sounded like he shrugged.

"How will I know where to go? What if I can't save somebody because I won't get there in time? What if-" The Moon cut her off.

_"You'll know, don't fret, little one. You'll know where to go. Now go, you have so many places to see, people to meet, children to save, believers to inspire! Run along, and have fun, Seppen, that's important."_The Moon smiled at her, and his voice faded away.

Seppen stared at the shining full moon for a few seconds longer, before smiling, and turning towards the last vestiges of the sunset. She had a job to do, after all.

* * *

Her first job was to rescue a small boy from the deep end of a hotel pool. Much to her relief, what Mr. Moon said was true, in being that she knew where to go. The sea told her where to go, a quiet whisper in her ear.

She had shot off into the air, much to her surprise, and had rocketed towards the northwest. A few minutes later, she saw a huge land mass, a continent. _Land!_ Seppen thought excitedly. _I can figure out where I am now!_The wind then took her in a more western direction. Beautiful cities, fields, rivers, hills, and mountains flashed beneath her as she soared over them. The temperature gradually got much, much warmer. It was almost unpleasant, even in the icy wind. The mountains below her were an ugly brown color, and scraggly, pointy, cactus-like trees dotted the landscape. Then, she saw it.

A dried lake, completely flat and bleached white in the unbearably hot sun. There is very little water here, how could there be a boy drowning? She thought in confusion. Her curiosity was sated a moment later, as an amazing city came into view. Gleaming in the bright sun like a mirror, it almost hurt her eyes. The buildings were almost as tall as the mountains themselves, and in all shapes, widths, colors, and heights. There was one that was shaped like a castle, and another like a needle, yet another had two big ships sailing around in front of it in a dark pool, another had giant pink and white flowers decorating it, and one was a giant black pyramid with a big spotlight on the top. Seppen had never seen anything like it, it was amazing! How can a city like this exist in the desert? How do they get water? Incredible! A big highway went right into the city, crossing the dry lake like a pathway to heaven. Or Hell. Whichever looked like this city.

She flew over the road, laughing at the feeling of wind in her hair. A sign appeared in the distance. It was an odd shape, and now that she thought about it, it was an odd color too. She was still too far away to read it, but the area around the sign was decorated with pretty tile, with palm trees and some kind of strange pink flower. As she got closer, the white diamond-shaped sign became readable.

Welcome  
_To Fabulous_  
**Las Vegas**  
Nevada.

* * *

Jamie Bennet was seriously regretting getting into the deep end of the Flamingo Hotel and Casino pool. He knew how to swim, sure. But he had rammed his foot against the pool wall while pushing off, either spraining it or breaking it. With how much it hurt, he would have to say broken, especially since he wasn't sure if he could move it.

It had started out as a good day, his parents had decided that they wanted to go to Las Vegas, so they did. They brought him and Sophie along because Las Vegas had a bunch of cool stuff for kids, as well. The family had come to an agreement, the daytime hours would be spent as family time, and the nighttime hours would be mommy-daddy time. So it was a double win. But nearing the end of the day, they had decided to squeeze in a little more swimming in the pool, hence his problem.

Jamie couldn't get back up for air. He couldn't push off the bottom, he wasn't heavy enough to sink all the way, he couldn't get to a wall, he was in the middle of the pool, and last -and the most important, in his opinion- was that he was hovering in the very center, four feet off the bottom, and six feet under the surface. Jamie's lungs were burning, his eyes wide, frantically clawing the water for air. His vision was getting blurry, black spots flitting around the edges of his vision.

The small believer was scared. Very, very scared, and he didn't want to die.

He felt hands on his back. Small, petite even. Jamie was confused. There was no one else in the pool. The hands scooped him up, and gently brought him to the surface. Once his nose touched air, he snapped reflexively towards it, and with a splash, he was out of the water. He took deep breaths, gasping for much needed oxygen. The hands hoisted him up so that he was sitting on the side and not floundering off on the water. His muscles trembled with exertion, he felt exhausted! He felt the hands on his ankle, and he opened his eyes so that he could thank them, but there was no one there. The hands disappeared, and his ankle felt better all of a sudden. He pulled it out of the water to look at it and found unblemished skin where there was supposed to be swelling and redness. His ankle looked absolutely fine, and felt like he had never hurt it in the first place.

He looked around, hoping to see the person who saved him, but didn't see anybody who could have done it. The sun was just starting to set, so most of the adults were out at casinos. _Could it have been a guardian that I can't see yet?_

"Jamie! Time to go!" His mother yelled for him.

"Okay! Be right there!" He called back, looking around one last time. As he left, he saw a young girl in a blue dress out of the corner of his eye.

* * *

**Done everybody! Sorry for the late update again! It's been almost a month, I'm sorry!**

**Over 100 reviews... I am awed. I love you guys so much! Thank you, and please review.**

**~MK**


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